Adjustable cloth feeding assembly for cloth spreading machines



N. ADJUSTABLE CLOTH FEEDING ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTH SPREADING MACHINES Filed001:. 4. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. NATHAN OBEDIN FIGZ BY amwd Oct.13, 1959 N. OBEDIN 2,908,493

ADJUSTABLE CLOTH FEEDING ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTH SPREADING MACHINES Filed001'.- 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. NATHAN 055mm BY Email/6,

A TTORNEYS United States Patent ADJUSTABLE CLOTH [FEEDING ASSEMBLY FORCLOTH SPREADING MACHINES Nathan Obedin, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Application October '4, 1956, Serial No. 613,972

7 Claims. (Cl. 27031) This invention relates to improvements in clothspreading machines, and relates in particular to a locking assembly forreleasably holding the pivotable spreading member of the machine invarious adjusted positions.

The invention is intended for use in the well-known and widely usedutility spreading machines or turntable spreading machines both of whichconsist generally of a carriage mounted on wheels for rolling movementback and forth over a cutting table. A roll of cloth or sheet materialis mounted on the carriage and the cloth is fed downwardly over guiderollers to a spreading member which is pivotally mounted at. the frontof the carriage and carries a feed roller at its free end. The feedroller is maintained close to the table surface to guide the cloth tothe table, and as the carriage is rolled back and forth, layers of clothare spread or laid down in a uniform stacked pile.

As the pile of cloth is built up, it is necessary to raise the spreadingmember at frequent periods so that its feed roller clears the top layerof cloth on the pile. The conventional method of raising and loweringthe feed roller is by screw means connected to the spreading member andadapted to pivot the spreading member, upwardly or downwardly dependingon the direction in which the screw is turned. While such screw means isoperable for this purpose, its use is slow, tedious. and tiresome, theoperator being required to manually turn the screw a great many times tomove the spreading member a short distance. This operation istime-consuming and slows down the spreading operation to a great extent,especially where it is necessary to raise or lower the spreading memberto its fullest extent at the beginning and end of the spreadingoperation.

According to the present invention, there is provided a novel lockingassembly consisting of a pair of detent fingers, one finger locking thespreading member from upward pivoting movement and the other fingerlocking the spreading member from downward pivoting movement. Thesefingers are pivotable and can be actuated by one hand of the operator torelease the spreading member for either upward or downward pivotingmovement, or both. At the same time the operator may grasp the spreadingmember with his other hand and raise or lower it quickly and easily toany desired position of adjustment within the limits of its movement.Release of the detent finger or fingers will then immediately lock thespreading member in this adjusted position.

An object of the invention is to provide a locking assembly of thecharacter described which permits rapid and efiicient adjustment of thespreading member with a minimum loss of time and expenditure of energy.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a locking assemblyof the character described which permits adjustment of the spreadingmember in in finite increments.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a locking assemblyof the character described which is composed of a few simple parts andis economical in manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in thecourse of the following specification, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a spreading ma.- chineincorporating the instant invention;

Fig. Zis a front elevational view thereof with the cloth broken, away toreveal the machine structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlargedview of theadjusting assembly of the machine, asshown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The cloth spreading machine illustrated in the drawings is themanually-operable type of turntable machine, the general construction ofwhich is conventional and well-known, The machine comprises a carriage10 having respective pairs of wheels 11 and 1 2 at each side thereof,the wheels. 11 being adapted to roll upon a track 14 which is fixed atone side of the table surface 15. The carriage 10 comprises a pair ofcast metal side frame pieces 16 and 17 connected together by cross rods18. Each side frame piece 16 and 17 has an open centralportion, and apair of integrally-cast handles 19. which may be grasped by the operatorfor manually, rolling the carriage back and forth-over the tablesurface.

The turntable assembly comprises a frame 20 having a pair of, side framepieces 21 and 22 connected together by cross rods 23. Each frame 20 hasas its. upper end a socket. 24 for rotatably mounting a roll of cloth R,and at its lower end a pair of outwardly-projecting arms 25 and 26. Acloth-guiding rod 27 is rotatably mounted between the arms 25 of framepieces 21 and 22, while a similar cloth-guidingbar 28 rotatably, mountedbetween the arms 26.

The turntable frame 2ft. is rotatably mounted at its center upon thecarriage 10 by means of the usual swivel mount 29, the structure ofwhich is conventionaL and will not be described indetail. Theswivelmount 29 is operable to permit the turntable frame to be turned ona horizontal plane through an angle of relative to the carriage 10during operation of themachine so that the cloth may be spread instacked layers with the nap facing in the same direction. Theusuallatchmeans 30 may also be provided for releasably locking the tumtable framein its aligned operative position, such as that shown in Fig. 1, duringthe actuallaying-up of the cloth.

The machine also has a spreading member 31 located at the front end ofthe carriage It) for guiding the cloth into spread position upon thetable surface. The spreading member. 31 includes apair of side arms 32and 33 connected together by a tie bar 34 and mounting a cloth feedroller 35 rotatably between their front ends.

A lug 36 is cast integrally on each side piece 16 and 17, each lug 36having an integral boss 37 as shown in Fig. 4. The lugs 36 and theirbosses 37 serve to mount the spreading member 31 pivotally on thecarriage 10. Thus, the spreading member 3]. may be pivoted upwardly ordownwardly to bring the cloth feed roller 35 to selected verticalpositions above the table surface.

In spreading cloth, the cloth C is unwound from. the roll R mounted insocket 24, passes over the roller 28, and beneath the feed roller 35. Tolay a cloth layer smoothly upon the table surface, or upon the pileof-cloth P already spread, the roller 35 must be disposed above andproximate to the uppermost layer on the pile. As the height of the pileincreases, the cloth feed roller 35.n1ust be raised periodically, so itwill clear the uppermost cloth layer on the pile P. For this reason,ready adjustability of the spreading member 31 is an important factor inthe'spreading operation.

Figs. 3 and 4 show in detail the means for pivotally mounting the arm 32on the carriage frame. A pivot pin 38 extends through the arm 32,through a spacer nut 39 and through theboss 37, the pin.38 having athreaded end which is screwed into the lug 36.

The machine also includes a locking assembly 40 for releasably holdingthe spreading member 31 in any selected pivoted position, and forquickly and easily releasing the spreading member for further pivotingadjustment. For this purpose the arm 32 has a substantiallyperpendicular rear terminal extension 41 which actuates the lockingassembly. a

The locking assembly 40 includes a hollow housing 42 which is pivotallymounted on an integral frame extension 43 by a bolt 44. A cylindricalrod 45 extends through housing 42, passing through aligned openings 46and 47 in the front and rear walls of the housing for longitudinalsliding movement therethrough. A nut 48 afiixed to the rear end of rod45 acts as a stop to prevent the rod from being slid entirely out of thehousing 42. A cylindrical block 49 is secured to the other end of rod45, as by a set screw 50. The block 49 has a cylindrical pivot shaft 51integral with one end and extending perpendicularly to the rod 45. Theend of arm extension 41 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 51, and isheld in this mounted position by a nut 52 which engages the threadedterminal portion 5111 of the shaft 51.

The arm 32 and its terminal extension 41 act in the manner of a bellcrank lever so that when the arm 32 is raised or lowered, itsperpendicular extension is moved forwardly or rearwardly in asubstantially horizontal direction, carrying the cylindrical block 49with it, and sliding the rod 45 through the hollow housing 42. Actually,the arm extension 41 moves the cylinder 49 and pivot shaft 51 in anarcuate path since the arm extension 41 turns about the fixed pivot 38.For this reason, the hollow housing 42 is mounted to turn on the pivot44, the housing pivoting to compensate for the arcuate movement ofcylinder 49, and permitting the rod 45 to slide freely in eitherdirection through the housing openings 46 and 47.

A pair of detent fingers 53 and 54, in the form of elongated metalplates are provided to grip and hold the rod 45 against longitudinalsliding movement in the housing 42. The fingers 53 and 54 haverespective circular apertures 55 and 56 at one end thereof, the rod 45extending through these openings 55 and 56, which are of slightlygreater diameter than the cylindrical rod 45. The fingers 53 and 54extend through openings 57 and 58 in the side wall of the housing 42, sothat the free ends of said fingers project a substantial distanceexteriorly of said housing.

A pair of compression springs 59 and 60 are mounted on rod 45 betweenthe end walls of the housing 42 and the respective fingers 53 and 54,the springs normally urging the fingers inwardly toward each other totheir operative positions shown in Fig. 4. The tension of spring 59biases the enclosed end of the finger 53 to the right, as viewed in Fig.4, so that the finger 53 is tilted in a clockwise direction. In thistilted position, the edges 53:: and 53b of the finger 53 bordering thecircular opening 55 engage the surface of rod 45, as shown in Fig. 4,while the rearward surface of the finger 53 engages the edge of thehousing opening 57 at line of contact indicated as 53c. This line ofcontact 530 constitutes a fulcrum about which the finger 53 may pivot.This pivoting action is limited by engagement of the finger with thehousing wall at 53d.

If the spreading member 31 were to be lowered, the arm 32 would pivotdownwardly, causing its extension 41 to move to the right as viewed inFig. 4, thereby drawing the rod 45 to the right through the housing 42.Such movement of the rod 45 toward the right is prevented, however, byaction of the finger 53. Tension of the spring 59 causes the finger edge53b to wedge against the surface of rod 45 and bite slightly therein.For this purpose, the fingers 53 and 54 are made of hard metal while therod 45 is made of relatively soft metal. A pulling force on rod 45 in aright-hand direction would urge the finger 53 to turn in a clockwisedirection around the fulcrum 53c, which in turn would cause the edges53a and 53b, to bite more securely into the body of rod 45, increasingthe wedging action thereof, and locking the rod 45 from sliding movementtoward the right.

The finger 54 acts reversely in an identical manner to prevent the rod45 from sliding toward the left through housing 42, and thus normallyprevents the spreading member 31 from being raised. Any force on the rod45 in a left-hand direction would tend to pivot the finger 54counterclockwise about its fulcrum 540, which pivoting action isprevented by engagement of the finger with the housing wall at 54a. Thefinger edges 54a and 54b bordering the circular opening 56, thus bitemore firmly into the rod 45, providing the wedging action.

A rectangular block 61 is fixed to the outer wall of housing 42centrally between the openings 57 and 58, as by a screw 62, with theplanar front and rear surfaces of the block in alignment with the inneredges of openings 57 and 58.

To release the spreading member 31, so that it may be lowered, the freeend of finger 53 is manually depressed or moved toward the block 61,against the tension of spring 59, until the surface of finger 53 restsflush against the surface of said block 61. In this position of release,the circumferential edges of the opening 55 are parallel to and spacedfrom the surface of rod 45, so that the latter is free to slide throughthe opening 55. Similar depression of the finger 54 aligns the opening56 parallel to the rod 45 so that the latter may slide to the leftthrough said opening 56, and the spreading member 31 may be raised. Thefingers are made of small size and are located relatively closetogether, so that in actual practice both are depressed simultaneously,the operator grasping both fingers 53 and 54 in one hand and squeezingthem together, while with the other hand he may raise or lower thespreading member 31.

Thus the spreading member may be quickly and easily raised or loweredand locked in an adjusted position in infinite increments, the fingers53 and 54 grasping the rod 45 at any point along its length within itslimits of movement. The spreading member may then be immediatelyreleased by depression of one or both of the fingers and re-set in anyother adjusted position.

A coiled compression spring 63 may be used to counterbalance the weightof the spreading member 31. This compression spring 63 is mounted at theend of rod 45 between the terminal nut 48 and the housing 42. Tension ofspring 63 against the nut 48 acts to relieve the weight of the spreadingmember, permitting the latter to be raised and lowered with a minimummanual effort.

I claim:

1. In a cloth spreading machine having a carriage movable along a tablesurface and a spreading member pivotally mounted on said carriage formovement along an arcuate path toward and away from the table surface,an adjusting assembly for releasably locking the spreading member inselected adjusted positions, said adjusting assembly comprising anadjusting rod mounted on the carriage for sliding longitudinal movement,crank means coupling said adjusting rod to said spreading member wherebysaid adjusting member is slid longitudinally when said spreading memberis pivoted, and a detent finger mounted on said carriage and manuallymovable between a locking position in which it engages and frictionallyholds said rod, and a release position in which it is clear of said rod,the detent finger being arranged to frictionally grip said rod in itslocking position to hold said rod against sliding movement in adirection to lower said spreading member.

2. In. a cloth spreading machine having a carriage movable along a tablesurface and spreading member pivotally mounted on said carriage formovement along an arcuate path toward and away from the table surface,an adjusting assembly for releasably locking the spreading member inselected adjusted positions, said adjusting assembly comprising anadjusting rod mounted on the carriage for sliding longitudinal movement,crank means coupling said adjusting rod to said spreading member wherebysaid adjusting member is slid longitudinally when said spreading memberis pivoted, and a pair of detent fingers mounted on said carriage andmovable between a locking position in which they engage the rod, and arelease position in which they are clear of said rod, one of saidfingers being arranged to grip said rod in its locking position to holdsaid rod against sliding movement in one direction, the other finger inits locking position being arranged to hold said rod against slidingmovement in the other directions, said fingers being individually andmanually operable.

3. In a cloth spreading machine having a carriage movable along a tablesurface and a spreading member pivotally mounted at one end on saidcarriage for substantially vertical movement of its free end relative tothe table surface, an adjusting rod mounted on said carriage forlongitudinal sliding movement, means coupling said adjusting rod to saidspreading member for sliding movement of said adjusting rod when saidspreading member is pivoted, and a pair of detent fingers pivotallymounted on said carriage for releasably locking said adjusting rodagainst sliding movement and thereby locking said spreading member in anadjusted position, each of said detent fingers having a grippingsurface, spring means normally urging said detent fingers to a lockingposition in which their gripping surfaces engage and hold the adjustingrod, one of said gripping fingers being arranged to restrain saidadjusting rod from sliding movement in one direction and the otherfinger being arranged to restrain said rod from sliding movement in theopposite I direction, said fingers being individually pivotable torelease positions in which their gripping surfaces are remote from saidrod.

4. In a cloth spreading machine, a carriage movable along a tablesurface, a spreading member pivotally mounted at one end on saidcarriage for substantially vertical movement of its free end relative tothe table surface, an adjusting rod mounted on said carriage forlongitudinal sliding movement, crank means coupling said adjusting rodto said spreading member for sliding movement of said adjusting rod whensaid spreading member is pivoted, and a pair of detent fingers pivotallymounted on said carriage for releasably locking said adjusting rodagainst sliding movement and thereby locking said spreading member in anadjusted position, each of said detent fingers having an aperture ofgreater area than the cross sectional area of said adjusting rod, saidrod extending through both of said apertures, and spring means normallyurging said detent fingers to tilted locking positions in which theedges of the apertures engage and grip the adjusting rod, the detentfingers acting as wedges respectively to restrain the adjusting rod fromsliding movement in opposite directions, said fingers being individuallypivotable to release positions in which the aperture edges are spacedfrom the adjusting rod.

5. An assembly according to claim 4 in which a housing is pivotablymounted on said carriage, the adjusting rod extending slidably throughsaid housing, said detent fingers extending through respective spacedopenings in said housing.

6. An assembly according to claim 4 in which spring means are connectedto the adjusting rod and adapted to bias said rod in a direction tocounterbalance the weight of said spreading member acting upon said rod.

7. In a cloth spreading machine, a carriage movable along a tablesurface, a spreading member pivotally mounted at one end on saidcarriage for substantially vertical pivoting movement relative to thetable surface, an adjusting rod mounted on said carriage forlongitudinal sliding movement, said adjusting rod being coupled to saidspreading member and movable therewith when said spreading member ispivoted, and a pair of detent fingers pivotally mounted on the carriageand normally engaged with said rod, one of said fingers having agripping surface for holding the rod against longitudinal slidingmovement in one direction, the other finger having a gripping surfacefor holding the rod against longitudinal sliding movement in the otherdirection, said fingers being individually pivotable for releasing theadjusting rod and permitting the spreading member to be pivoted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,029,316 Preister June 11, 1912 1,036,011 Schneider Aug. 20, 19122,355,526 Gundlach Aug. 8, 1944 2,476,759 Obedin July 19, 1949 2,478,840Sayles Aug. 9, 1949

